Boone's Cave Park to unveil boardwalk, new trail

The ranger at Boone's Cave Park will unveil a new Dragonfly Boardwalk and Wilderness Walk next month at an event scheduled on St. Patrick's Day.

BY NASH DUNNThe Dispatch

The ranger at Boone's Cave Park will unveil a new Dragonfly Boardwalk and Wilderness Walk next month at an event scheduled on St. Patrick's Day.Park staff and volunteers have been working on the boardwalk, located in the wetlands area, since mid-November, said Sheila Zuccaro, the park ranger at Boone's Cave Park. The new trail was cut this winter, Zuccaro said.The boardwalk will enable citizens to stroll atop the wetlands area and take in wildlife from a small observation deck. "I think it's going to be one of the best parts of the park," Zuccaro said. "In the wetlands area, there are lots of butterflies and dragonflies. You've never been able to access that because it stands in water. Now, you will be able to go right across the top of it."Several plants, including the Cinnamon Fern, only grow in the wetlands portion of the park, Zuccaro said, adding that most plants will be identified with signs.The newest trail, Wilderness Walk, will tie the Cottonwood Tree Trail into the boardwalk."You can get from the very far back corner of the park to the middle of the park by getting on the boardwalk, rather than hiking a couple of miles down the trail," Zuccaro said. The boardwalk and trail will be unveiled during a dedication event March 17. The park will be open from 1 to 5 p.m., and a ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at the boardwalk from about 1:15 to 1:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served after the boardwalk dedication, and Girl Scouts will have face painting and craft activities. There will also be a tree planting later in the afternoon, Zuccaro said, adding that the goal is to plant about 200 tree seedlings.Zuccaro said the new boardwalk will be great for children as well as college students studying wetlands. Bird watchers should also enjoy the boardwalk, as the wetlands area is also a "hot spot" for migratory birds, she said.Including the new Wilderness Walk, Boone's Cave Park includes more than five miles of trail.The park, located off N.C. Highway 150 in Churchland, also includes a picnic area, a 1700s-style cabin and a small cave thought to be Daniel Boone's hideout. Legend says Boone was only 16 years old when his family settled on the banks of the Yadkin River in the spring of 1750.Zuccaro, who has worked at the park for six years, said the new boardwalk has been a long-term goal for quite some time. She, as well as her part-time helpers, Gary Easter and Kelly Ginn, are quite excited."That area is going to be good," she said. "There's a lot of wildlife where before, you could see it disappear but you could not follow it."Nash Dunn can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 227, or at nash.dunn@the-dispatch.com.

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